Sustainability is the capacity to survive. Sustainability is a long -term process of maintenance of dedication and responsibility that has environmental, economic, social measure and surround of ethics on responsible planning and management of resources. It needs individual and community as a whole to be independent and passionate to give dedication, commitment, consistency& responsibility towards building a sustainable future.

For us, growing our own food, gardening and eco green living is not about lifestyle but it’s a way of life. Its not for poseur such as following the current popular global trend or because it’s a popular subject people talked about, or its cool to grow and eat organic, or becoming hip trend when consuming more eco-green product, hybrid cars, foldable bikes etc.

Why we grow our own food is because it’s beyond what consumerism or our current system can offer. It’s about self-govern and spirit of DIY. Its about surviving and sustaining, its about sharing and giving back to others and loving the nature everyday.

#Gangchaos Garden: obeying the Permaculture Principal and Ethics

Permaculture: it’s a revolution. But permaculture is anti-political. There is no room for politicians or administrators or priests. And there are no laws either. The only ethics we obey are: care of the earth, care of people, and reinvestment in those ends.-Bill Mollison

permaculture-ethics. Credit photo: lovelygreen

For us, when talked about growing food its not just about knowing how to cultivate the land, from poor soil into fertile soil and then to grow our own food that we can eat, but its more than that. It is the act of sharing and “barter-trade” or any act of giving that is beyond the concept of profit making is the key to sustainable living. We believe that the nature give us more than we need so it is have become our principle and ethics on sharing knowledge &food that we grown from our garden& reclaim sidewalk with people that close with us, from our family, friends, neighbor.

This is how we have developed our conversation with our neighbor about gardening by sharing our harvest with them. From there, we managed to break the barrier and build better relationship and trust with them. From the conversation we’ve discussed about our process of growing food, about natural fertilizer, importance of worms, exchange knowledge about natural remedies and they are also very happy with us sharing food with them and they’re sharing with us.

The first step of growing a community is building trusts, which can be achieved just by the simple act of sharing. We have meet few friends and people that question us, why do we share our food after all the hard work growing it? This has always been a good way for us to start the conversation, our concept & understanding is simple, either you grow in a small scale or big scale, if you don’t share, any act towards change & sustainability future will not be sustain without sharing within the community.

Because of this reason, we felt that it is important to have a community garden. A place where community can have access, ownership, and contribution towards their live and giving back to the community. From a community garden, the community can have direct participation from the process of growing food, harvesting and enjoying what they grow together. Building a community garden is a good way and example to build a better, harmony community thru the act of sharing, learning, discussing together.

“Adopting permaculture in your garden could be the first step towards limiting your personal consumption and planning your life to become more creative as time goes by”Graham Bell, ‘The Permaculture Garden’

A sustainable eco-friendly community need active and direct participation from all and this can be grow thru the act of sharing, growing food together, sharing resources learning together and enjoying the harvest together either with minimum cost or without any cost. The act or idea of sustainability will be not useful or will be wasted when we only talked about sustainability but we not practicing the concept of sharing with family, friends, people around us or the society does not understand and does not want to participate in the concept of sharing, contribution to others, recycling, etc. It won’t happen when the community still does not understand the concept of reused what we consume to minimise the act of consuming product. It wont happen when the society only fight& move as public masses when big company destroying mother earth but failed to see that we ourselves are also the problem by our consuming habits, cause of pollution and traffic, wasting foods and resources, littering, claim public space but eating and living individually on what was grown on reclaimed public shared space/ sidewalk.

We believe change start from home and within community. It happen when the community is empowered. It is important to build trust and network between the community we live in, and this can happen thru the act of sharing and togetherness. This is also very important education and exposure for our children and future generation on where food comes from, what’s its look like, how it grows as such etc.

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Published by Ili farhana

Graduated in 2003 in Fine Arts, actively involve in organizing independent art programs and art festival since graduate. As an active independent researcher and writer, Ili also has an experience working in the issues of human rights and women rights. Co-founder of Pusat Sekitar Seni (PSS) In Malaysia, a community based space that promotes creative art activism and collectivism in community, in Padang Jawa, Klang. She is also Co-Founder of Sekolah Kebun Akhir Minggu (SEKAM) is an independent citizen initiative to give basic education on gardening and life skills by using permaculture principle and ethics and creative gardening methods. A mother of 3 passion in growing food, permaculture and argoecology especially at the aspect of how community gardening can improve a community’s livelihood toward sustainable living.
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